Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday ordered the reopening of border with Afghanistan after 34 days of blockade with a two-day relief in between. The border was sealed by Pakistan following a spate of deadly attacks in the country which the officials blamed on militants belonging to banned organisations hiding on the Afghan side of the border.
Afghanistan denied the allegations. Both countries also shared a list of terrorists. Thousands of Afghan citizens were stranded in Pakistan due to the ban who were later allowed to return after border was temporarily reopened on March 8 and 9.
Traders on both sides spoke against the ban and protested over loss due to the border closure.
“I am ordering immediate reopening of Pak-Afghan border as a goodwill gesture,” Prime Minister Sharif said in an official statement. He said Pakistan still has reservations that terrorists from Afghan soil are planning and conducting attacks in Pakistan but he did not want the people on both sides to be affected who are linked culturally, historically and religiously. Mr. Sharif hoped the Afghan government would take measures to eliminate the reasons for which the borders were closed in the first place.
